Adding In Domain Play After The Fact, Part 1

29 Mar, 2024

So I'm at a point now where I need to take my domain-play half-notes and scaffolding and prep something more robust for my open table, Hither and Yon Infinite. I've thrown out hints and actions from NPCs to at least make the factions I have non-static, but its not enough anymore. The actions of my players are starting to stagnate now and I want to have some scaffolding with a little more structure behind it to remind me to have all the setting's entities acting all the time.

To that end, I'm going to take a pass over my existing setting using Kevin Crawford's An Echo, Resounding. I've used it before to build a setting but this is the first time I'm using a map/setting I've already got.

Here's the map of HaY as it currently exists:

1. Placing the Population Centers

Fortunately for me, I've been using the same region for my J3H series, so I've got plenty of settlements to play with. Crawford's advice is to pick no more than 4 Cities and no more than 12 Towns, where Cities are major confluences of wealth, population and power and Towns are smaller versions of Cities that feed into their corresponding City.

I've got already got 4 settlements in mind for Cities: Sedgeport, Quillbury, Mon Skirt, and Fairvane. They're already placed on the map with a tiny bit of distance between them (hexes = 6 miles) so I don't need to worry a ton about placing new ones.

For Towns, Crawford's guidance is to have 4 Towns for each City. This is a bit trickier, I've got some Towns for every City but not close to enough (I've got 10 to start with, and they're not spread evenly). I'll stick a port Town north of Sedgeport named "Bardock" and a dwarven mining Town east of Fairhaven named "Hanston" to balance out what I've got currently. I'm also going with the strange implication that Fairhaven exerts influence on the Towns south of it into the desert, which indicates Fairhaven as a major political power in the area. I haven't been playing them up this way in game, but this has come up quite a bit in my prep/J3H posts so this makes sense.

Here's where I'm at after Step 1:

2. Placing the Great Ruins

I've placed quite a few Ruins on the map already, I think I've already surpassed the guidance of 5 Ruins per City. I do want to place some more though, especially as my currently placed Ruins all surround population centers to make it easier for them to act as campaign starters. I'll place 10 more to be sure.

1. A Bloodmage's Tower in 0905 to represent a tower I rumored in play already
2. An Entomancer's Tower in 1305 to represent another tower I rumored in play already
3. A Dwarven Fort ruin in 1806
4. A Dwarven Fort ruin in 1005 to represent Dakssonhold
5. A Magic Academy in 2211
6. A mine complex in 1013
7. A mine complex in 1313
8. A secret cave network in 1807
9. A fort ruin in 1507
10. An island fortress in 0205

Here's what I got after Step 2:

Starting to get busier!

3. Establishing Resources

Putting down domain-level strategic resources is where I start to flounder. Placing down settlements and adventuring locations is something I think most GMs do unconsciously when designing areas, but I hardly ever think about cool Resources. I've got a few already down, but I'm going to place down the recommended "1 for every Town" anyway.

1. 1009 Strychnine Grove, blooms in Autumn (came up already in play)
2. 0906 Shipbuilding Timber from the Foggy Forest
3. 1511 Gold
4. 1115 Timber
5. 1013 Ore
6. 0610 Obsidian
7. 1307 Some Swamp Resource
8. 1706 Lush Farmland
9. 0908 Lush Farmland
10. 0506 Fish-filled Waters
11. 0401 Big Eggs? Bird-something
12. 2005 Ore

I ran out of ideas towards the second half of the list and cheated some of the first, but I figure I can randomly generate the rest later as instructed by the text. Updated map:

4. Placing Lairs

There's no guidance as for number of Lairs to put down, just putting them to block routes between Cities and Towns and to make use of undefended resources. I know I've got already got a bunch of Lairs from existing play so I'll just place down 1 for every Town, similar to the number of Resources I put down. I'm going to randomly generate what exactly lives in these Lairs later in the book.

1. 1810
2. 1607
3. 1506
4. 0304
5. 0806
6. 1315
7. 1904
8. 0706
9. 0608
10. 1104
11. 1913
12. 0715

I'm getting pretty haphazard placing Lairs by the end of the list and the map's looking a lot busier. That's ultimately a good thing, but I'll have to remember to generate more Lairs and Resources for my future prep to make sure I'm still matching the same density. Here's the updated map:

5. Assign Traits and Obstacles

Alright, now I have to fill in all the points I just placed down randomly. I also need to assign each City, Town and Resource an Obstacle that indicates why it's not already being exploited to the maximum.

Resources all get an Obstacle, it looks like my vague guesses are pretty much already what the book would be giving me. Just going to give them an Obstacle and a value to determine how much of a hurdle the Obstacle is then. List:

1. 1009 Strychnine Grove, Toxic Process 3

It's literally a grove of poisonous trees, so I'm going to chalk this one up as a "duh."

2. 0906 Shipbuilding Timber, Monsters 3

I've already had plenty of trolls roaming the woods protecting the trees, it makes sense that they'd continue to do so.

3. 1511 Gold, Covetous Polity 8

I'm going to say this obstacle reflects the lack of clear ownership of the gold and the lack of any strong enough entity to fully claim the resource. The result is a major cloak-and-dagger mishmash of hundreds of tiny gangs defending their claims and digsites while somehow also trying to make a profit.

4. 1115 Timber, Toxic Process 7

I've implied in my prep already that the area around Red Mountain is severely chemically altered. I'm going to go so far as to say that despite the prosperous old-growth timber supply here, anyone who cuts trees here dies within the next 2 decades, no survivors.

5. 1013 Ore, Covetous Polity 7

This resource is deep in Redmountain clan territory. I've implied that Rolof's holdings are secretly the power behind his father's throne, so I'm going to say that this means these mines are held directly by Redmountain royalty and that the aristocrats are not happy about it.

6. 0610 Obsidian, Failed Settlement 7

Easy, it's spitting distance from a volcano and a dark wizard academy. There used to be a Town here and it got swallowed up in an eruption, now its incredibly cursed by the ghosts of the old townsfolk.

7. 1307 Some Swamp Resource -> "Rich Gathering" (good food foraging), Bad Vibes 3

So this Obstacle is actually effectively "minorly cursed." This is a swamp that's apparently good for foraging, so I'm going to say that the swamp is also pretty hard to navigate successfully, to the point where the only people that bother are the elves that have lived here all their lives.

8. 1706 Lush Farmland, Bad Reputation 6

The land's right outside Fairhaven. I think this place sucks to trade with and has sucked for any outsider for as long as anyone can remember (as long as the dwarves of Fairhaven have cultivated this land).

9. 0908 Lush Farmland, Human Raiders 5

Bandits preying on the border between the bulette-filled Sea of Grass and the outer fields surrounding Quillbury seems like an easy fit.

10. 0506 Fish-filled Waters, Recurrent Sickness 8

The fish outside of Sedgeport have been corrupted and diseased by the sorcerous byproducts and refuse of the vampire nobles. The fish have become mutated and changed. They're still plentiful, but the people living in Sedgeport are dependent on the ministrations of the same vampires to ensure their continued survival.

11. 0401 Big Eggs? Bird-something -> "Sorcerous Materials", Relic Golems 6

Large egg-shaped constructs present since the dawn of time guard the eggs of the sea birds here on the north end of Avery Island. Their presence is likely what keeps the birds here coming back year after year, despite the competition for resources. Do these egg constructs have anything to do with the gullfolk of Spike Harbor?

12. 2005 Ore, Undeveloped 6

The mountains are flush with ore but nobody's gone to the work to mine it? Seems like there's more to the story there but I'll just say that the mines are not here for whatever reason.

Already I'm beginning to get more of a picture of the land from these Obstacle roles. It seems like the Fairhaven area is pretty cursed, either they're being run poorly or everything they touch turns corrupted or they're cursed or something.

Alright, for Lairs I have literally nothing so I'm just rolling them straight out of the list:

1. 1810 Aspiring Warlord
2. 1607 Dwarven Outcasts
3. 1506 Cruel Vowed -> Evil Monastery
4. 0304 Aspiring Warlord
5. 0806 Thieves' Stronghold
6. 1315 Cult Shrine
7. 1904 Dwarven Outcasts
8. 0706 Evil Monastery
9. 0608 Dwarven Outcasts
10. 1104 Mad Wizard
11. 1913 Tidespawn Infestation -> Demon Cult
12. 0715 Magical Gate

Seems like Fairhaven is now surrounded by Dwarven Outcasts. I know from play that there's a sizable human refugee population in Fairhaven now from the destruction of the human kingdoms north of there. I'm going to turn the rolled "Dwarven Outcasts" I got around Fairhaven to be "Refugees turned Bandit" to reflect the large refugee population that would be bucking under new authoritarian rule under the Protectorate in Fairhaven. This is making the area feel a little one-note in prep, but I'm assuming it's going to shake out a bit in play (my players haven't gone that way yet).

For Towns and Cities, let's generate some Obstacles:

1. Sedgeport, Demagogue 6

OK, so not only are the citizens of Sedgeport dependent on the vampire houses for literal survival, they're also held in thrall via ideaology. This paints a picture of a prosperous City with vampires operating out in the open, surrounded by hundreds of supplicants. Is it a magical enthrallment or are the vampires just that charismatic?

2. Quillbury, Contaminated Land 5

The land immediately within Quillbury is a bit cursed. This forced the original townsfolk to invest in powerful fertilizers (imported from Sedgeport maybe?). The treatments were successful enough to spread, resulting in the incredible farmland just outside the walls. Perhaps Quillbury is now renowned for its growth magic and soil treatments, granting it incredible trading power?

3. Mon Skirt, Bad Reputation 3

This one's easy. Only recently have the Redmountain clan turned to peace instead of war, it's only natural that their capital would have a bad reputation.

4. Fairhaven, Recurrent Sickness 6

I'm going to chalk this one up to the walls straining to hold the recent population influx, this causes frequent plagues to run right through the City, often chased by muttering priests a day behind.

5. Spike Harbor, Demon Cult 5

Far enough away from major military powers that the cult can't be stopped, and escape is always just a quick trip down to the wharf away. Frequent in-and-out traffic to and from Sedgeport makes it easy to kidnap a few for live sacrifice.

6. Rustrock, Demon Cult 7

This Obstacle is large enough that I think it's clear that the whole town is actually a demon cult operating in secret. With the failed settlement just east of them, perhaps they made a pact with demons to protect themselves from the volcano's eruptions?

7. Begblueton, Crushed Spirits 5

This has come up in play. The denizens of Begblueton can't harvest their crops due to frequent bulette predation. This would normally be kept at bay by the wizards of Darkwind Academy and the ogres of the Skullfort, but both groups have recently gone silent, rendering the town powerless against the landsharks.

8. Circlebrook, Contaminated Land 6

The protection circle that keeps Circlebrook safe also prevents anything from growing nearby. This means the Town is forced to import goods from elsewhere and prop up the only other major business in town: adventuring.

9. Croakpool, Ethnic Feuding 5

Croakpool is an elven settlement, ruled by elves, and pointed towards continued elven success. The Mayor openly devotes himself to Zosimus, the elven god of tactics, intellects and elven supremacy. Non-elves are allowed to live and trade in Croakpool, but they aren't welcomed.

10. Sprouts, Secret Society 3

Sprouts is secretly led by ex-nobles who actively contributed to the ruination of the human lands. Were anyone to find out, they'd be killed.

11. Loomswell, Demagogue 5

I'm thinking some kind of Big Presence lives in Loomswell, and their performance has the town essentially following their every whim. Some sort of charismatic performer of some kind keeping the Town in thrall.

12. Dakton, Flooding 7

The undead are walking out of the mud around Dakton already, likely they're destabilizing the banks and causing flooding all around Town.

13. Hanston, Class Hatred 5

Hanston is beginning to make sense for me as perhaps the resort-town for the Fairhaven elite. They come out here in their carriages and palanquins and retreat to their summer homes on the hill, all the while looking down on the locals who wait on them hand and foot. They block the development in the ore to the west of town because it would ruin the look and feel of the otherwise quiet town, despite making the local population much wealthier.

14. Bardock, Monsters 8

Surrounded by trolls, arcane constructs, sharks, an evil monastery, I could go on. I suspect they have vampiric guards keeping the peace in the streets, which likely also contributes to the problem.

15. Mon Verd, Crushed Spirits 5

It's a somber town filled with the slowly dying and statues of the already dead. Mon Verd is essentially a living graveyard, no wonder they're so somber all the time.

16. Mon Feld, Exceptional Poverty 7

Subject to harsh desert winds, unable to work the mines nearby anymore (I didn't mark them as a Resource... must be because the mines are tapped out). Forced to submit to the taxations of Mon Skirt to the west even as opportunity dries up more and more. The people with the ability to leave have left, leaving only those who can't escape.

6. Establishing Domains

This is the part where you parcel off settlements and resources to various different factions as part of starting domain play. I'm going to be boring and say that each City in my setting is its own domain, with the 3 nearest Towns making up their borders. I'm also going to call the Tower at Sedgemarl it's own faction, as well as the Human Survivors north of Fairhaven.

This leaves me with the following:

1. The Vampire Houses of Sedgeport and the surrounding Towns, forced to submit
2. The Free City of Quillbury and the freeholds of Croakpool, Circlebrook and Begblueton
3. The Redmountain Orc Clan of Mon Skirt and their ancestral holdings
4. The authoritarian Protectorate of Fairhaven, holding the nearby populace in control via a tight grip on food supply and extortion.
5. The Tower at Sedgemarl, formerly of the environs of Sedgeport, recently split
6. The Human Survivors of the former human kingdoms living in the wastes of their homes
7. The Free Town of Loomswell, currently purchasing their freedom at a dear cost (but still paying)

I've definitely got Domains off the edge of the map but I'll get to them as I add more. The desert and the human kingdoms still need fleshing out, and I've hinted at more orcish clans to the south, so that's probably where I'm going next.

7. Organize a Hall of Infamy

The final guidance on creating a domain is to establish roughly 7 villains that terrorize the region. Players will need to be cunning and powerful to beat them, if not just outright lucky. I'm not going to flesh out a ton of entries here since I think I still need to chew on this one a bit, but here's what I'm thinking:

Biggest Bad:

1. Markalo the Redcap. The one that all the others get their name from. The leader of the gnomes crashed onto this planet, and subsequently all of their orcish legionnaires.

Second Ring:

2. Vikram the Scheming. A wizard of nebulous morals and complex schemes. He's been friendly with the PCs so far but I don't know how long that will last.

3. Prince-In-Exile Trenton Athbarr, of the Sedgeport Athbarr family. Was exiled from the vampire City for being needlessly wasteful with resources and utterly impossible to work with long-term. Currently trying to get "his" City back.

Third Tier:

4. Prince Daksson, Long May He Reign. The undead son of the dwarven High King Dak, current ruler of the undead legions of the Dakton region.

5. Palomo, Leader of the Eaglewings. The Eaglewings are a bandit group with ties to the deep dwarves and the leadership of Croakpool. They operate powerful magic they have no business possessing. He will not go down easily.

6. Moira Greenhills, the last surviving heir of the Greenhills orc clan. Current hunting Rolof Redmountain, secret lover of Eydis Redmountain.

7. Kellsey Caraway, murderous matriarch of Caraway Manor and head of the largest cannibal gang north of the River Dak.

Conclusion

That's the end of setting up the domain! This post got away from me a little bit, so I'll have to set up the math for factions and turns in a part 2. Happy gaming!

Check out Part 2 here.

#HaY Infinite